(CGTN) “We not only know how to drive a tank, but also can dismantle it,” said a student majoring in Armored Vehicle Engineering at Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) after finishing the internship program of driving tanks.

Since 1985, students majoring in Armored Vehicle Engineering at BIT have to go to the camp and learn dismantling and driving tanks, worth 2 credits and 1 credit, respectively.

On average, each students can drive 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) during the course.

As the top school in weapons and vehicle developments in China, the idea of producing a light tank independently designed and produced by China was initiated by the BIT faculty in 1959.

According to Beijing Youth Daily, there are 66 students participating in the internship this year, which is categorized into 10 groups. Each group is equipped with one tank and one coach. Two students and one coach would get into the tank at one time while the other eight students observe from the outside.

As the daily rountine of the military camp, students also need to wear the uniform during the class. /Photo from BIT's official Weibo account

Professor Li Hongcai, who teaches tank construction and also the deputy of the practical program, told Beijing Youth Daily that deeply understanding the users' experience by talking more with soldiers can help students better modernize the forces extensively and make weapons achieving the combat capability.

The program often motivates some of the students to pursue careers on the development and design of tanks, even though more than half of the students enter civilian car companies upon graduation.

Chen Ke, who graduated in 2007, said it was the program that inspired him to focus on the technology of tank wheel. The unbearable noise that he experienced when he drove a tank during the program made him develop noise reduction measures for the wheel.

During the class, students can learn each part of the tank. /Photo from BIT's official Weibo account

At the beginning of the “enclosed training” at the camp, the students have to take a confidential training as well as some marching drills, which are the routine of a military training. The first week of the program is the driving course and then students will learn the structure of the tank in the last two weeks.

As a safety precaution, students need to learn driving using a simulator in the beginning.

Ma Zheng, one of the top students of the Armored Vehicle Engineering major, told the Beijing Youth Daily that he can meticulously introduce the tank once shown up in some war and action genre movies to people with the description from the text book. But after driving tanks by himself, he realized the difference between the text book and the practice.

Driving a real tank is no easy feat. Zhao Qi, a tender girl from southern China and one of the 10 female students in this major, even did not have a driving license before taking the tank driving class. A tank, 10 times heavier than a car, is really a huge monster for her.

“When driving the tank for the first time, even shifting the gear was a huge challenge for me,” she said, “It is too heavy.”

Two months after learning in the camp, she felt a deep connection with the military vehicle.

After three months of learning, students "fall in love" with tanks. /Photo from BIT's official Weibo account